The present invention relates generally to the fields of templates and racks for use in the construction industry. In particular, the present invention relates to a device for racking electrical conduit and transcribing conduit entry hole locations on an electrical box.
In the construction industry, electrical wires are often run through piping to safely deliver electricity to different areas of a building. This piping, referred to as “conduit” in the electrical trade, is typically constructed from metal or plastic and comes in a variety of standardized sizes. The size of conduit used to run a particular electrical line depends both upon the length of the run as well as the particular power application.
Certain construction situations require electrical conduit to be run underground beneath a building to reach electrical installations both inside and outside the building. For example, in commercial buildings, the building's main power feed commonly enters the building from below ground. Conduit is also frequently run underground from one part of a building to another, as well as to electrical installations outside the building. Oftentimes underground conduit running into a building is connected to aboveground electrical boxes located inside the buildings. Such installations typically involve multiple runs of conduit interfacing with the bottom of an electrical box, which requires the conduit to be organized into a spaced configuration before being connected to the electrical box. In the electrical trade, organizing the conduit into a fixed configuration is often referred to as “racking.”
It is not uncommon for conduit to be installed beneath a building before pouring the building's slab. In locations where the conduit will be connected to an aboveground electrical box, the conduit is oriented vertically to reach the location where the panel box will ultimately be installed. Oftentimes the conduit is installed in a location that will eventually become the interior of a wall. A makeshift support framework of vertical posts and cross braces is usually constructed to aid in racking the conduit. Constructing such a framework, and strapping the conduit to the framework in an organized and spaced pattern, can be a rather labor intensive endeavor.
After the conduit is strapped to the makeshift support framework, the conduit is cut to locate the upward ends of the conduit at the height where the bottom of an electrical box will be installed. Prior to installing the electrical box, the configuration of the conduit must be transposed onto the bottom of the electrical box to ensure a proper fit. The traditional method for doing this entails using a ruler or tape measure to mark the location of each particular conduit entry hole. In making these measurements, the spacing of the conduit from each other and from the rear edge of the electrical box must be taken into account. As such, when multiple rows and/or columns of conduit are to be installed this task can become time consuming, tedious, and prone to measuring errors.
Thus, under the traditional method, racking conduit and connecting the conduit to an electrical box involves two labor intensive steps. To date, there has not been a systematic and efficient way to both rack conduit and transpose the racking configuration onto the bottom of an electrical box to make entry holes into the box.
Measuring aids for speeding up the process of laying out entry holes on an electrical box are known. The measuring aids, however, are not capable of racking conduit. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,577,328 discloses a stencil with pre-measured markings to aid in the measuring process. The stencil is capable of measuring a variety of conduit entry hole sizes. However, an electrician using the stencil can lay out only one entry hole at a time, and must reposition the stencil before measuring an adjacent entry hole. In addition, the stencil does not account for the thickness of strut used to secure the conduit to a construction structure. Thus, the measuring process still requires a multitude of measurements and an opportunity for error exists when repositioning the stencil for each individual entry hole.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,584,780 also discloses a template for laying out conduit entry holes on an electrical box. The template, however, must also be repositioned to measure each entry hole and does not account for the thickness of strut used to secure the conduit to a construction structure. Moreover, the template also cannot be used to rack conduit.
Therefore, given the limitations of the prior art, a device and method for both racking conduit and transposing conduit racking patterns onto electrical boxes is needed to speed the accuracy and timing of conduit installations.